Thursday Thirteen

Today, I thought I would share my interest in corsets with you. A quick visit to my page at MySpace or to my website will show you how much I adore this item of underwear. Since Dita Von Teese came on the scene, the corset has risen in popularity and now can be worn as an item of evening wear, rather than just being kept to the bedroom.

1. A corset is a garment that girds the torso and shapes it according to the fashionable silhouette of the day. Most often it has been used for cinching the waist and supporting the breasts.

2. Contrary to popular myth, the corset was not as restrictive as is generally believed.

3. Vain women tended to wear corsets tighter than necessary and buy corsets with smaller waists, but most women, although they purchased an 18 or 20 inch waisted corset left a gap at the back closure to accommodate a more realistic 22-26 inch waist measurements.

4. In recent years, the term "corset" has also been borrowed by the fashion industry to refer to tops which, to varying degrees mimic the look of traditional corsets without actually acting as one.

5. The word corset came into general use in the English language in 1785. The word was used in "The Ladies Magazine" to describe a "quilted waistcoat" called un corset by the French. The word was used to differentiate the lighter corset from the heavier stays of the period.

6. People with spinal problems such as scoliosis or with internal injuries may be fitted with a form of corset in order to immobilize and protect the torso.

7. Andy Warhol was shot in 1968 and never fully recovered, and wore a corset for the rest of his life.

8. Aside from fashion and medical uses, corsets are also used in sexual fetishism, most notably in BDSM activities.

9. By wearing a tightly-laced corset for extended periods, known as tightlacing, men and women can learn to tolerate extreme waist constriction and eventually reduce their natural waist size.

10. In the past, a woman's corset was usually worn over a chemise, a sleeveless low-necked gown made of washable material (usually cotton or linen).

11. Some large-breasted women find corsets more comfortable than brassieres, because the weight of the breasts is carried by the whole corset rather than the brassiere's shoulder straps.

12. Corsets can instantly improve the figure without dieting, slimming drugs, or cosmetic surgery.

13. Vollers Corset Company is one of the oldest established corset makers in the world. They continue to produce traditionally made, steel boned corsets, renowned for their high quality and authenticity since 1899. Each Vollers corset is individually crafted from start to finish in their own factory in Portsmouth England, using the finest steel hardware, materials and fabrics available.

Information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_corsets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsets
http://www.corsetheaven.com/

Celebrating my Fellorian Vampires

Since they first crept into my mind three years ago, my Fellorian vampires have made a huge impact. Today, I thought that I'd devote my blog to these time travelling vampires and share their success story with you.

Fellorian Vampires are time travellers. They inhabit their own realm known as Felloria. This realm is ruled by a monarchy, in conjunction with The Death Council, a board of 12 high born Fellorians who ensure the smooth running of the realm . All subjects are loyal to the crown. Unlike other vampires, they have adapted to live in the mortal world during daylight hours, although the night is still preferable to them. The majority of them have managed to curb their lust for human blood, relying instead on the blood of animals. For the most part they are a tranquil breed of vampire, usually employed as special peacekeeping envoys throughout the vampire world. Fellorians do not travel to the mortal world unless The Death Council or The Monarchy has specifically requested it.

Coffee Time Romance said of Thirst for Revenge: Thirst for Revenge simmers with heat from the first page when the Bandit, ‘Marcus,’ does his sensual dance on the stage. The ambience can be felt as soon as Kayla enters the club and each time she and Marcus are together; their emotions lace the pages. Valendera makes a great want to hate person and get even with. Ms Rose pens an insatiable tale that spins with action and whirls with hot intense excitement that keeps the reader engaged. The delightful characters, the way the story flowed and the creativity made this a very pleasurable read.

Fallen Angel Reveiws gave Thirst for Reveneg five angels saying: Thirst for Revenge is a fast-paced story full of excitement and suspense. Kayla is a strong, feisty character who's not afraid to use her sexuality to achieve her goals. I loved her repartee with Marcus, and the way she managed to knock down his smug ego really made me grin. I also liked the way she fights their attraction - Kayla fell in love with Marcus many years ago, and she's never been able to tell him. But just because she has the opportunity now, it doesn't mean she's going to make it easy on either of them. Megan Rose keeps the sexual tension simmering between them until they come together in an explosive love scene. Thirst for Revenge is the start of a series, and I'm looking forward to the next book!

Thirst for Revenge is a spine tingling! A story that will have your heart pumping. Megan Rose is a author not to miss! I, for one, love her work.*smooches* Meg!!Rated 5 Delightful Divas by Deb!

Romance Junkies reviewed Fellorian Resurrection and said: A mixture of elements including romance, sci-fi, horror, and suspense hold this exciting fiction together. The dialogue is intriguing, the action exciting, and the love scenes scorching. I definitely, recommend this one if you are into vampires and hot reads. I am so looking forward to more of the Fellorians.

PNR said: the sequel to Thirst for Revenge will leave you wanting more.

Meet the Fellorian Vampires

Marcus, the Vampire Assassin

Marcus is a Fellorian vampire. Fellorians are primarily peace keepers. As such, they are often called upon to mediate in disputes and to eliminate possible threats within both the vampire and mortal worlds. The elimination process is dealt with by a special missions task force. Their chief assassin is Marcus. For hundreds of years Marcus has been a killing machine, a tool of the realm of Felloria and of The Death Council. He serves his world and his monarchy proudly, is fiercely patriotic and loyal to his friends. He is both well travelled and well educated, admired by his peers and feared by his enemies. Physically he is well toned, his body a shining example of what years of strenuous training can achieve. In his time, Marcus has enjoyed the attentions of females from the mortal world, but never from his own land of Felloria. As an assassin Marcus is well aware that he can never form an attachment to one of his own kind, but for Felloria he is willing to make such a sacrifice.

Kayla, the Fellorian Princess

I am Fellorayer-Mikayla, Fellorian Princess, daughter of Fellorah-Karl and Fellorayar-Yarra and Chief of the Shadow Fighters. Since my seventeenth Fellorian phase, I have lusted after the Vampire known as Marcus. His beauty and strength are incomparable; he ignites something within me that at times, I am afraid to name. How can it be that such a Vampire could tempt me so? Am I not of Royal blood, Royal strength? Am I not the next in line to our mighty throne? Indeed I am. But I am also female. A female with needs and desires. It is the Vampire Marcus that awakens such emotions within my body. He floods my senses, destroys my resolve and weakens me. And yet, I want to be weak before him. I want his strength to overpower me, to take charge, to take me.

In my state of feminine weakness, I have flown to observe this Vampire, as he prepares himself for battle. Each night, he trains naked before me, his actions observed by my eyes only. He is oblivious to me. Yet every particle of my being is so very aware of him. He has strength, he has pride, he has power. I can see it in every move his muscular frame takes. He has the discipline of a warrior. The coldness of an assassin.

With each movement that he takes across the walled training ground, I can feel my body responding. I watch secretly from the balcony above, like a predator, waiting to pounce. My wings are folded, my body tense. I fear for my strength as a Vampire. Just the very sight of him weakens me .And yet still I indulge myself. Still I allow my eyes to feast eagerly upon his naked flesh.

I crave him. The sight of him, the scent of him. I long to be held within his strong embrace and to feel his taught flesh against mine. I long…I long for so many emotions that are surely not meant for a Fellorian Princess. I am a warrior, a leader of Vampires. A ruler in the making. How can it be that this male could bring me to my knees? I am weak before him. I am female to my very core. I am unobserved.

Excerpt from Thirst for Revenge

The room was pulsating with the sounds of cheering women and heavy bass music that was something akin to a throbbing jungle beat .Dry ice flowed softly across the stage as the man clad only in black skintight trousers and a bandits’ mask, struck out the beat with a ferocious leather whip. The methodical snap and crack were enough to send shivers down the spines of most of the women in the night club .For those distracted enough not to be looking his way, their attention was soon caught by his taught, muscular frame taking complete command of the stage. The women’s hands picked up the rhythm and within seconds the whole room was moving to the boom, boom of the beat. Moments later the seductive atmosphere had escalated to fever pitch as the masked man slowly made his way to the front of the stage.
“Ladies,” declared a female voice over the PA system.” Stormy Nights is proud to present – The Bandit”.
The music became more sensual now and The Bandit began to move his hips in time to the rhythm, hypnotising the women standing before him. Back forth, back forth, slowly mimicking the sex act. With each movement, his trousers stretched tantalisingly over his muscular thighs. The snug silky material fitted like a second skin, highlighting every sinewy muscle that he possessed below the waist. As his groin continued to thrust, it was impossible not to see his impressive cock nestled between his powerful thighs. With every forward motion that he made, the material strained against him, cupping and caressing his thick bulge.
He knew that this was what they came here for, these mortal, power hungry women. They worked hard, uncomfortable hours all week; building empires, selling stocks, fighting corporate legal battles. By the time the weekend came they were hot, horny and in need of a release. They were sexual predators, as soon as they walked through the doors of Stormy Nights. In the end, he thought sardonically, they were all brought down to his level. They too became the lone hunter, the night creature, only existing because they too had a need within them that could not be satisfied. These human females came here for the long, hot promise of a look at his cock, for a few minutes of hard, tantalising, visual stimulation, for their chance to imagine that it was a prelude to sex.

Excerpt from Fellorian Resurrection

Consuming Valendera's tainted blood had been the Fellorian's only hope of saving themselves and others from the evil grip of the once High Priestess. Though the blood that flowed through his veins was now something that prevented him from returning to Felloria, it did give him the opportunity to show himself to the sweetly innocent female, who had captured his immortal soul so long ago. Returning to her again would give him a beautiful reprieve before he was needed to fight whatever demons were now at the heels of The Trinity.
Standing in the grounds of her country house moments ago, Arrbern had seen the open window and had known that she was waiting for him. He knew that her desire burned as strong as his did, yet his hideous appearance had always prevented him from exposing her to a mating with a monstrous creature of the night. Now he could go to her, whole and rejuvenated, strong and masculine. Tonight he would be the lover that he knew she longed for. Tonight it would be his hands, not her own that brought her to a delicious climax. It would be his body that would awaken her to the pleasures of the flesh.
Flying up to her bedroom, he had waited for her eyes to close and her body to relax into slumber. But tonight, though she closed her eyes, Isabella did not fall asleep. Arrbern could sense a restlessness within her, which in turn seemed to fuel his own desire, a desire so strong that he fought to keep his hands off her. Through the white fabric of her nightgown, Arrbern noticed her dark nipples, erect and proud. She had turned down the bedcovers, revealing more of her slim form to his greedy eyes.
The thin cotton of her gown rested upon her firm thighs, which led up to a promisingly dark mound that Arrbern could barely keep his eyes from. His hand hovered briefly above her stomach and breasts, as he fought the desire to touch her. Just the mere thought of laying his skin against hers, made Arrbern harden with a ferocity that startled him. It was at that precise moment that her emerald green eyes met his for the very first time.
Her lips, luscious and full, smiled at him, revealing her pleasure at the sight of him. Arrbern was relieved; he could not have borne her distaste for his previous state. Now he could show her the full force of his masculinity. Now he could truly make her, his own. She was like him, he knew, a creature of darkness. How else could he have travelled across time and space as he had done with her? How else could he have carried this desire, this need within him for so long, if she were not one of his own kind?
The thought sent another rush of blood to his already hardening length. How he longed to bury himself deep within this beautiful creature before him. Bury himself, cock, heart and soul. Such as his soul was. He wanted to belong to her, and she to him. Tonight he would make her his and they would forevermore walk the path of the undead. The path that would, he hoped, eventually lead him back home, to his beloved Felloria.

The Fellorian vampire series is now available from Red Rose Publishing.

You can purchase Thirst for Revenge at http://tinyurl.com/cjuh5h

You can purchase Fellorian Resurrection at http://tinyurl.com/ouhoev

Here Come the Girls

My Grandma loves reading Hello and as soon as she had finished with her magazines, she passes them along to me. (What a kind Grandma she is, to indulge my yearning for celebrity gossip.) Anyway, we had a long car journey yesterday, so I took some of my magazines with me. I was reading about various Queens and First Ladies, women who are out there doing good for various charities and generally giving women a good press. I can't help but think that it's a thankful respite after all the negative press that women have been getting recently.

In England especially, there has been a Ladette culture, which involves young women refusing to behave like young women at all and instead, opting to behave like young men. Drinking to excess and sleeping around are mainly involved in this culture, which gives other young women a very bad press indeed.

A recent series on British T.V was entitled Mistresses and seemed to show women, not only involving themselves with other women's husbands and partners, but their friends partners too. Now if you can't trust your friends, who can you trust? Good T.V or more bad press for women?

With Madonna seemingly buying herself a new child and SJP paying for a surrogate, are modern mothers getting good or bad press? Is money really the answer when it comes to maternal problems? Is this progress or it simply showing us what wealthy women can accomplish ? I couldn't help but feel a little sad when I heard that after so recently adding to her family, SJP would be starting filming again on August 2nd.

Well, we can't change the world, (although I know that many women did). All we can do is change our little corner of it. We can only reinforce the positive attitudes that we have and we can only hope that other women are doing the same.

Trying to Enjoy the Summer

It's a beautiful day today and about time too, I'd say. We've had quite enough rain of late. So, I thought I'd do a spot of washing, you know, let things dry in the morning sunshine, let the breeze shake the cobwebs from my living room rug. I've worked hard all morning. I've eventually managed to prize the laptop out of the hands of one of my offspring and now it's time to write.

What better way to spend my late afternoon, than sat in the garden, my laptop to hand and a refreshing glass of wine on the patio table? You'd think it was the perfect setting. You'd be wrong. Inches from my feet, my furry killing machine (the cat) is attacking a mouse. Clearly he doesn't want to eat it just yet. He likes to let it run a little before picking it up and batting it from paw to paw. Now he is batting it beneath the patio table. My feet, furry pink slippers and all, are now raised uncomfortably in the air. I have a sneaking suspicion that the mouse may seek refuge in them.

The children, who I had managed to escape from, are now with me. There is much entertainment to be gained from watching the cat with the mouse. I try to continue with my writing. However, it seems that my glass of wine has now attracted the attention of a local wasp. I run for cover, whilst the children's and the cat's attention is now firmly fixed on the squeeling woman. My eldest son takes the laptop into the house, whilst I try to chase the wasp away with a red velvet cushion. No such luck.....he is drowning in my wine.

I am now safely in the house, the cat has finished with his latest victim and now seems to be searching for another. The children, as usual at this time of day are searching for a snack. And I am contemplating giving the garden another go.

Setting Goals

Firstly I'd like to welcome you all to my new home on the web. I do hope that you'll enjoy your visit with me today. I loved setting up all my books and the links. Despite the fact that I'm not very knowledgeable in the computer department, I think it looks pretty good. Obviously I'm not as blonde as I look LOL. So, it's a goal of mine this summer to get lots and lots of writing done. But with a family to look after, this can be a tricky task. How I envy those writers who stay at home all day to work on their craft.

Setting ourselves realistic and achievable goals, can be a great idea. As long as they are achievable. I asked the question about life goals a few weeks ago on Romance Divas. So many people came forward with goals that they had accomplished. It was very inspiring.

So what I'd like to know today is, what are your two goals for the coming months or years? One can be realistic and the other not so. It could be a dream you'd like to come true or something which you'd like to pursue, if only you had the time.

My realistic goal is to pass my maths exams which I am currently studying for. My not so achievable goal is to move into some sort of criminal field. No, I don't want to become a cat burglar. I'd love to study and work in forensics or profiling or some sort. Maybe I watch too much CSI, but it all seems so fascinating. I recently picked up a college prospectus on these fields and the courses looked very interesting indeed. Sadly, my need for a regular wage won't allow me to become a full time student, so it is a dream. But it's my dream none the less.